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Top women avoid upset bug on busy Friday

Every year it seems at least one or two of the top women in the BNP Paribas Open field get bitten by the upset bug in their first match of the event, but on Friday all the women ranked in the top 15 who hit the court pulled out victories.

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Every year it seems at least one or two of the top women in the BNP Paribas Open field get bitten by the upset bug in their first match of the event, but on Friday all the women ranked in the top 15 who hit the court pulled out victories.

A few had to escape, and a few looked strong.

Seventh-ranked Garbine Muguruza rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Kirsten Flipkens on Stadium Court. Muguruza, one of those early upset victims last year, was happy to get the win, particularly because she arrived in the desert Wednesday. Why so late?

"Well, I was in New York, and I was doing exhibition there, which was very -- I felt like a rock star," she said with a smile, referring to an exhibition at Madison Square Garden. "But, yeah, it was fun. One thing and another one. I came here on Wednesday."

Does she consider herself a rock star?

"Well, that day, yes. Obviously, you're in Madison Square Garden. There is a room, like, with all the historical moments and stuff. You feel, like, wow, I'm here, part of this. I'm going to play here. It's an honor to be there, actually."

Dominika Cibulkova, the No. 5-seeded player here, needed to escape. She beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. She wasn't alone. The 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina was pushed to the limit by Qiang Wang of China, but pulled out a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory.

Johanna Konta, the No. 11 seed from Great Britain, played the first match of the day on Stadium Court and handled her countrywoman Heather Watson 6-4, 6-4. For Konta, the win was much appreciated after taking some time off, even if it came against a friend.

"It was my first (match) in a little bit," Konta said of her first tournament match since the Australian Open. "So I'm really happy to have gotten it under my belt. Get another chance to play again in a couple of days. I'm very happy about that. It's not easy playing someone from your home country, so that added an extra dimension. A great experience overall."

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Johanna Konta hits a forehand during her win over Heather Watson at the BNP Paribas, March 10, 2017. (Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)

On the men's side, there was some fire and brimstone from an unlikely source. American Donald Young Jr. picked up a win at the expense of fellow American Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 7-6 (5). The 27-year-old Young topped the 19-year-old Kozlov and let forth a jubilant series of fist pumps after securing the win. He will move on to face another American on Sunday, Sam Querrey.

The stage is now set for Saturday, the first day with seeded men and women in action. The list of players in action includes Andy Murray, John Isner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, Venus Williams, Angelique Kerber and CoCo Vandeweghe.